Bridge: Monsters (IV)
by fallingfreely
Summary: I won't let them turn you into one of us. Companion to "Sins and an Absolution".
1. Chapter 1

Vanitas had been drained thoroughly and completely.

But as Master Xehanort's nephew and successor to the SHINRA operations, he had to put on his best - and most terrifying – face.

He and Stella were sitting in the helicopter as they hovered over the heart of Hollow Bastion's oldest landmark: the castle. It sat empty for centuries as many of the locals thought it was haunted. The story was that a witch from long ago tried to kill the princess from a nearby kingdom. However, the prince had intervened and killed her, her body falling from the highest room in the tallest tower. Now it is said that her spirit still haunts the castle halls and you can still hear her laughter and see her raven.

While Vanitas thought it was a load of crap, he was thankful that the locals steered clear of the place. It just made his job as the head of arms and weaponry so much easier.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Vanitas asked Stella.

The blonde already knew what Vanitas was talking about. She crossed her legs and shook her head. "No. No one from the estate has seen Miss Valentine. She hasn't been there."

Vanitas' heart sank. He knew that he was wasting his time. Even though he had extended the offer to Jasmine a long time ago to stay at the mansion, he knew that she would more likely than not stay away at all costs.

"If I may speak freely," Stella began, shifting around in her seat. "Perhaps it is a good thing that she hasn't been there. I don't think she would go there unless things were very wrong. Maybe this means that she is doing alright out there."

Not long ago, Vanitas had gotten word that Prince Noctis and his group had been spotted on some of the other worlds. However, all the reports say that Jasmine was not present. In addition to that it would appear that she had left Radiant Garden and was not even enrolled in her university at the time, that she had taken a break.

And while Vanitas knew that he had no right to know where she was or even be in her business, he was still very worried for her.

"I'm sure," he laughed hollowly, "we are talking about Jasmine Silva here, aka Miss Valentine."

Stella's expression saddened. "Vanitas…"

He glanced in her direction once before looking back out the window. "Yes?"

"I know you've thought about this," Stella said cautiously, "and I know it's been troubling you greatly. But with the way things are headed I have to be frank: if we do see Miss Valentine and if she poses a threat to our mission – "

Vanitas held his hand up to stop Stella from going any further. "I know but I won't do it. Just like you're under my orders to not harm her either."

"Yes, I know that," Stella replied. "But it's not us that you need to think about. It's the other agents that have her on their hit list like Yazoo and Loz."

It wasn't as though Vanitas was completely blind to what was going on and how dangerous this situation had become. No matter what, he and Jasmine were on opposing sides of this battle. They were enemies.

The thought of it caused Vanitas' chest to tighten. He hated the way their story had taken such a dark turn and, no matter how many sessions he had with Stella and no amount of drugs to ease him would make him forget how poorly he treated her.

It actually caused him physical pain.

But ultimately he knew he had no right to feel this way. After all, if he hadn't of come back into her life, none of this would have happened.

She would be free.

"Vanitas," Stella leaned forward and tried to look into Vanitas' eyes. The young man was lost in thought, clearly and very visibly upset. He'd lost his hard edge. He had to be thinking about Jasmine. "I know that you love her greatly, and I know that you're feeling hurt. It's understandable." She looked behind her and carefully watched the pilot, who was completely oblivious to their conversation. Still, Stella lowered her voice as much as she could in the helicopter. "The only thing you can do, is be there for her now as best you can. It will be challenging, given your positions and with Master Xehanort watching you closely, but I have no doubt that the two of you will find some way to work around each other."

Even though the thought was always in the back of Vanitas' mind, he was reminded of his uncle.

Not long after Jasmine had left, Master Xehanort had told Vanitas about his encounter with her.

 _Flashback_

"That little girl," Master Xehanort began, leaning back in a large reclining sofa in the middle of his study. He crossed his legs one over the other and looked up at his nephew who leaned against a desk facing the large floor to ceiling window, "I ran into her the other day."

Vanitas snapped to attention, his eyes widening in shock. "You _what_?"

Master Xehanort smirked wickedly, amused by how the mere mention of the Silva girl could strike a chord in his nephew. "We ran into each other in the elevator when I was on my way out. I had just come from a meeting and she caught the door for me. Such a polite, pretty girl."

Vanitas immediately went on the offensive, trying his hardest to suppress his anger. "What did you do to her?"

Master Xehanort waved his hand dismissively in Vanitas' face and closed his eyes, appearing quite disinterested. "We simply had a conversation, nothing to get too excited about."

Vanitas was livid. He didn't want his uncle to go anywhere near Jasmine.

"I did deliver a warning," the older SHINRA head continued, "that she should get as far away from SOLDIER as possible so that she doesn't end up like her parents. But she's stubborn and didn't heed my warning. She's just as foolish as her father was and unfortunately, she's going to pay the price for it."

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," Vanitas growled viciously. "Leave her out of it."

Master Xehanort laughed heartily and stroked his goatee. "How can I? She's inserted herself into this. SHINRA and SOLDIER have been battling each other for a long time. She should understand that there are consequences for her actions."

 _End of Flashback_

"I wish she would have chosen to align with SHINRA," Vanitas lamented, his concern growing. "At least then I could have protected her."

Stella was gentle with her approach and met Vanitas' gaze with an apologetic stare. "You know she would have never sided with SHINRA. Not after everything. You know this."

Vanitas groaned out loud. "I know, I know." He realized how ridiculous he sounded. Jasmine had no reason in the world to join SHINRA. They murdered her parents, destroyed her childhood home and almost killed her on several occasions. "I just wish…that there was a way I could protect her better."

"Jasmine Silva, er…Valentine," Stella quickly corrected herself, "is not helpless in the slightest."

"I know, but she's not like the rest of us," Vanitas added, lowering his voice. Truth be told, Vanitas knew full well that while Jasmine was a threat to SHINRA, she would still not drag herself down to the depths like the rest of them would. The idea of Jasmine taking a life was unthinkable. He knew that she would never pull the trigger, even if her life depended on it.

That was her one weakness in their world.

And that weakness would cost her dearly.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Sorry for the long wait you guys. I've been having a bit of writer's block as of late. But I think I've finally snapped out of it and so I'm going to continue with the "Bridge" series.

This story (timeline wise) is the second to last one before the next story gets started and "Agrabah Nights" is the second one. I promise, there's a reason as to why I purposely wrote them out of order.

In any case, I know this was a short chapter but the action is going to get started soon. Let me know what you guys think so far about the chapter, what you think might happen, all that good stuff.

Take care all!


	2. Chapter 2

'I hate it here,' Jasmine thought as she leaned against the edge of a desk. 'I really hate it here.'

She counted a stack of money and then sat it on the cherry oak desk in front of her, drowning out the sounds of the SHINRA agents chatting amongst each other in the study.

She couldn't wait until this mission was over.

She'd heard from Reno that a member of SHINRA (one of the lower level drug dealers) was in possession of a journal page. The story was that this page had been hand-delivered to this person and that they were to study the page before sending it off to Master Xehanort.

Jasmine's job? Find the page and leave Hollow Bastion.

However, the difficulty here was that the page was with a drug dealer located in one of the shadiest, most dangerous parts of the island and getting anywhere near him (even with him not having the status of some of the other members) was next to impossible.

Jasmine had stationed herself on the island for a little over a month now, positioning herself in various clubs and bars where he was known for frequenting. After a little flirtation, and a lot of acting, Jasmine had been able to work her way through his circle and was one step away from getting the page.

The man sitting in the arm chair, dressed in a sloppy black suit snapped his fingers, calling everyone to attention. He had slightly tanned skin and shaggy brown hair that covered one of his dark green eyes. He looked young (though he was clearly not as young as Jasmine - even if he himself didn't know it) but his youth was hidden behind the sharp, almost evil look in his eyes.

"Tomorrow, I need all of you back here," he announced, his youth showing in his tone. "There's a shipment coming in a few days and we need to take care of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Xander!" Everyone (minus Jasmine) said at once.

The other men in the room bowed before the man but Jasmine continued on with counting the money. She didn't have to go through the same treatment as the others. Why? Because she had successfully worked her way into his circle and sat at his side, taking on the role of girlfriend.

Jasmine's skin crawled when she thought about it. For almost a whole month she had to pretend that she actually had feelings for this man when, in reality, she despised everything about him: his attitude, his treatment of other people (especially women), his cologne…everything.

With a wave of his hand, Xander's group left his office with the last man leaving shutting the door tightly behind him.

"What a pain in the ass," Xander grumbled, running his fingers through his bangs. He got up from his chair and locked the door to his study.

Jasmine's stomach dropped. She knew what was coming next.

With a confident stride, he made his way over to Jasmine. She forced a natural looking smile and closed her eyes when he leaned forward to his way to her. He grabbed her face (a little too roughly for her liking) and kissed her.

One of the main drawbacks of Jasmine's "profession" were times like these. Whether SOLDIER admitted it or not, they had often used the few female agents for missions like these. She'd met a few other female agents when she first started off and they all went through the same thing. Track down a member of SHINRA or any other group with less than honorable intentions, seduce the men, and do whatever is necessary to get what you need.

Jasmine once questioned one of the other female SOLDIERs about the term "anything" but she didn't say anything which, in turn, was all the answer Jasmine needed.

Once the kiss was broken, Xander looked Jasmine up and down, playfully tugging at the shorter than it should be black mini dress. "Do you want to get dinner after this before we head back?"

Jasmine blinked her (fake) dark brown eyes and smiled, giving Xander a kiss on the cheek. "I'd love to," she lied through her teeth.

While Xander walked Jasmine out and led her down the street towards his favorite restaurant, Jasmine allowed her mind to wander.

Just how long would she have to do this? How much longer until she was free from this lifestyle? While she admittedly enjoyed traveling and seeing the world, Jasmine hated the characters she often had to become in order to maneuver through these various missions.

She often wondered what everyone was doing on the island. She wondered how Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, and Riku were doing, about what Tifa and her family might be up to.

And then, in her more intimate moments with herself, Jasmine wondered how Riku and Noctis were doing in all this.

While she hated what Noctis did to her not long ago, she could feel some of her anger towards him melting away. But only some. She'd heard from him through Axel that he and the others were doing fine on their own missions but she never asked Axel to send word back to them on her progress. For the time being, she thought it best to simply keep them in the dark.

As for Riku…

The thought of him still pained her greatly.

Jasmine wondered how it was possible for the mere thought of him to send her into a mental and emotional frenzy. It almost seemed unnatural and insane for her to still feel so strongly for him given her history. But in the end, she chalked it up to nostalgia for her old life and often had to force herself from going too far down the rabbit hole with her emotions.

After all, if she let anything at any point slip, she could very well lose her life and she had too much at stake to let her emotions get the better of her.

* * *

Vanitas hated visiting Xander more than he could care to share. While he was good at his job, Xander's attitude and cockiness turned Vanitas completely off – which was surprising because Vanitas knew just how arrogant _he_ could be.

But still, he had important business with Xander. Tonight they were supposed to have dinner and then discuss business tomorrow. While Vanitas would have rather handled the business first and left Hollow Bastion, Xander had been quite persistent on showing him what he had been working on.

With a heavy sigh, Vanitas walked through the doors to the restaurant that Xander told him to meet him at. With Stella in tow, Vanitas walked to the hostess who immediately led him to the back of the restaurant where Xander was sure to be waiting.

"I hate this guy," Vanitas grumbled.

Stella tried to put on a positive attitude, even though she had to admit that she wasn't too fond of Xander either. "Try to relax, Vanitas. It's only dinner, nothing more."

"I'm sure he's going to have his _women_ with him," Vanitas rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed in exasperation. He truly didn't have time for this. Or the patience for that matter.

The hostess led Vanitas and Stella to the back of the restaurant, motioning for them to head to the table that seemed to be further away from the others. All the while, Vanitas was busy concocting an excuse to cut the dinner short.

Xander and the unknown woman had their backs to Vanitas and Stella originally but when Xander was alerted by the hostess that their guests had arrived, the brown-haired SHINRA agent stood up and greeted the pair warmly by giving them a polite, low bow.

"Vanitas, it's so good to see you," Xander greeted with a huge smile.

"Likewise," Vanitas lied, giving Xander a small smile of his own.

"I'm glad you could join me for dinner. I thought we could enjoy the evening before we get down to the dirty business later on."

'It's all dirty business,' Vanitas said mentally. He glanced over and saw only one woman at the table. However her back was turned to the group. "Who is that? I'm not used to seeing you with only _one_ woman," he commented.

Xander broke out into a wide grin and motioned for the woman to stand up. "I'd like you to meet Angela."

When the woman stood up and turned to meet the group, Vanitas' eyes widened.

For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still as he took in "Angela's" familiar light brown/tanned skin, long ebony locks reaching her waist and her fake dark brown eyes. "Angela" however seemed to be quite calm and didn't pick up on Vanitas' shock. However, Vanitas quickly put the pieces together and realized just what exactly was going on.

Knowing that he needed to keep his calm, Vanitas cleared his throat and extended a hand to "Angela".

"It's nice to meet you," Vanitas said cordially, shaking her hand stiffly.

Xander, completely oblivious to what was going on, laughed at Vanitas' odd behavior.

"What's wrong with you, Vanitas? You look like you've seen a ghost." Once Vanitas and "Angela" broke their handshake, Xander kissed her gently on the cheek.

Vanitas quickly looked to Stella, who was just as taken back as he was, and then stared at "Angela", wondering why in the world Jasmine was here in this moment with Xander of all people. "You could say that…" Vanitas said distantly, wondering how and why this was happening right now.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I know it's been a while but I hope this chapter makes up for it. So to sum it up, Jasmine and Vanitas have crossed paths while she is on a mission. Not exactly the most comfortable situation but I (as the writer) thoroughly enjoy the idea of it.

Hopefuldreamer1991: Right? We can definitely thank Stella for all that. I hope you like the chapter.

Alright guys. I'm currently working on the next chapter now. Let me know what you guys think in a review or PM and I'll get back to you soon!

Take care!


	3. Chapter 3

Once she heard Xander's snoring, Jasmine exhaled a sigh of relief. She slipped out of his bed and searched for her short, lavender silk bathrobe and quickly slipped it on. Running a hand through her tousled black locks, she glanced back at the sleeping man and looked at him in disgust.

She couldn't wait until she was done with this mission so that she never had to see him again.

Jasmine rubbed her eyes (being oh so careful as to not irritate her brown-colored contact lenses) and stepped into a pair of flip flops before she left their hotel bedroom, being sure to take her key with her.

With great haste, Jasmine hurried towards the elevator and used the keycard Stella gave her that took her to Vanitas' room on the top floor of the hotel.

Now, under normal circumstances, Jasmine would have avoided Vanitas at all costs. They were enemies with a long-standing history. And even though they had "ended" on somewhat decent terms (or as decent as they could be) Jasmine still made no effort to see him. But when Jasmine met Stella in the ladies room at the restaurant, the blonde presented her with information she knew she needed, she understood that she had to see Vanitas – even if it meant possibly blowing her cover.

Standing at Vanitas' hotel room door, she quickly fished out the key and stepped inside, making sure that no one saw. Once inside Vanitas' suite, Jasmine immediately spotted Stella and Vanitas standing near the window. She cleared her throat to alert them of her presence and they turned around.

Vanitas rushed over to Jasmine and stopped when he was but a few feet away from her, concern clear in his gold eyes. "Did anyone see you?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Of course not," she replied distantly as she rubbed the side of her neck. "This hotel doesn't have much in the way of surveillance. Isn't that why a lot of SHINRA personnel stay here?"

Vanitas stared at Jasmine, the deep pain in his heart that he carried with him intensifying. Jasmine had changed from the last time he'd seen her. Back at his mansion, he still saw a bit of innocence in her eyes, the light that comes from naivety at how the world works. But there was something different, something darker about her now – something that only came from diving into his world.

And here he was with the love of his life, the one he could never be with, after she most likely just finished sleeping with one of his most-hated subordinates.

The thought of it made him extremely nauseous and disgusted. Not with her – she was only doing her job. But he was disgusted by the fact that she was in this situation in the first place and had gotten dragged into it.

"I'll leave you two alone," Stella said softly, wishing the pair a "good night" before retreating back to her own room.

Once Stella was gone, Vanitas exhaled.

"Did you just _leave_ him?" Vanitas asked as casually as he could.

Jasmine nodded and walked over to the window with Vanitas close behind her, taking a seat on the couch near the window. "He's a heavy sleeper," she explained, looking out the window. "And he's tired. I don't think he'll suspect anything."

"I agree," Vanitas said as he sat across from her on the opposite sofa. "He never was the brightest. Plus I'm sure you've got him wrapped around your finger," he added, look at her from out the corner of his eye.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence followed. Jasmine appeared more comfortable than Vanitas, almost relaxed even as she sat on the couch while staring out the window. He sat up straight, rigid, and he looked in the opposite direction of her, trying to fight the urge to look at her.

"I'm sure it would be stupid to ask how you're doing," Vanitas said finally, albeit cautiously.

Jasmine gave him a look and casually shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's polite but it's really not needed. You know I didn't come here for a basic conversation anyway."

Vanitas felt the sting of her words but pushed forward anyway. "Correct. I know I can't ask you what you're doing here but I can safely assume that you're on an assignment. I'm not going to out you though."

Jasmine laughed humorlessly. "That makes things substantially easier for me."

Vanitas lifted an eyebrow. "Did you really think that I'd blow your cover?"

With a heavy sigh, Jasmine finally looked at Vanitas and stared him dead in the eye. "It doesn't matter what I think," she replied matter-of-factly. "I have to be prepared for anything. That's part of the job."

Vanitas listened to Jasmine closely. He could tell that she was on her guard but that was to be expected. She was on assignment. He knew she couldn't afford to take any chances at this time. But even so, he rather hoped that he could speak to Jasmine and not the infamous "Miss Valentine" that he'd heard so much about.

"I wish you didn't have to be here," Vanitas whispered to himself.

Despite how quiet Vanitas' voice was, Jasmine heard what he said. "Beg pardon?"

This time Vanitas looked Jasmine straight in the eye, a serious glint in them. "I wish you didn't have to be here," he repeated. "You're changing."

Jasmine was silent for a minute. In truth, Vanitas was right. She had changed. But it was only to survive in this hostile environment. She knew who she was at her core but for now she had to adapt.

"I'm on a mission, Vanitas," Jasmine stated plainly, "I'm in character. Do you think that I'd still be alive if I act the way I normally do? I know what kind of people I'm dealing with. And since I don't have any plans on dying then I need to be a little tougher."

Vanitas had to admit that in this instance, she was right. In order to survive in this world, she had to be a lot harder around the edges, tougher, and a bit more vicious if she wanted a chance to survive. But still, he didn't like the look in her eye. If she stayed involved in SHINRA and SOLDIER's battle much longer she would definitely turn for the worst and never leave this life.

He'd seen it numerous times before. People enter SHINRA but they never leave. In fact, if they make it out alive at all they always fall right back into the same dangerous habits.

Jasmine was different than most of the people he'd seen enter this life. She seemed to want to be out and had all the tools she needed to do so. But still, the longer she stayed the harder it would be. Vanitas knew that SOLDIER valued her and wanted to keep her around as long as possible. They had no intention of letting her go just as much as SHINRA had no intention of letting him go.

Vanitas shifted in his seat. He wished that he had more time with Jasmine but he knew by her body language (the tapping of her foot and her constantly looking at the clock on the table in front of him) that she needed to leave.

"Stay away from Traverse Town," Vanitas said finally.

Jasmine tilted her head to the side and looked a bit confused, her eyes shining with curiosity. This was not what she had expected to hear.

"For how long?" She asked, hoping that she would get more information but knowing that even Vanitas had to draw the line somewhere.

"Just steer clear of it in the next few months," he told her. "That's all I'm going to tell you."

Even with Vanitas holding the information from her, Jasmine still managed to learn a lot. There was something big planned for Traverse Town. What that situation was? Jasmine had no clue. But she had a major hint and that was enough for her.

Jasmine jumped to her feet then and turned around, retying her sash on her bathrobe. "Thanks," she said simply. "By the way, Xander is going to ask you to come to his dinner tomorrow night. A lot of SHINRA heads are going to be there. But then again, I'm sure you already knew that."

"Are you going?" Vanitas asked, following Jasmine as she headed towards the door. "You know you'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"Of course," she replied simply, "I'm his date after all."

Vanitas cringed. Seeing her all over Xander at dinner made him nauseous. No matter how poor their relationship was, Vanitas was still in love with Jasmine. And to see the one he loved, pulled down into SHINRA and SOLDIER's madness, and with one of the most disgusting members of his organization made his stomach turn.

"Relax," Jasmine said, opening the door, "it's strictly business. I won't be here much longer anyway."

"Planning on making a grand escape?" Vanitas asked, holding the door open for Jasmine and standing close to her.

He never thought he'd see this, but in that moment, she gave him a comforting smile that turned into a more rueful one. "Yeah," she started to disappear behind the door, "something like that."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I know this chapter has been a LONG time coming but I hope that you liked it. I have one more chapter planned for this story and then I'm just going to go ahead and release the third story in the "Heartbreakers" lineup. It's been far too long and I finally have a grasp on what I want to accomplish.

That being said the other stories will continue to be updated but more strategically as they are tied in with the third story.

 **hopefuldreamer1991** : That's the run on joke haha. He really isn't the brightest one. I hope you liked the update.

 **Sookdeo** : Yup. She has to put up with a lot of crap for this job. Yeah. In truth, her family is the reason why she's doing all this. Why that is will be revealed soon and in one of the side stories and not long into the third story, which will be out soon. I'm glad you like the story! It's one of my favorites too. I'm still working on the others but I think this one is my ultimate (quite possibly because Vanitas is in it up you know). I hope you liked the new chapter!


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